The spinal cord plays a critical role in the functioning of the central nervous system (CNS). Although the spinal cord is the simplest region of the CNS, it contains diverse neural cell types which are interconnected in intricate patterns. During embryonic development, multi-potent stem cells in the neural tube proliferate and then ultimately differentiate into neurons and glia according to extrinsic cues and intrinsic determinants. Diseases and injuries that affect the functioning of spinal cord neural cells are often debilitating, and generally remain difficult to treat effectively.
To develop improved therapies for such disorders, further study of human spinal cord neurons and the differentiation process is needed. To date, such study has been hampered by the difficulty of obtaining sufficient primary human CNS tissue for research and the limited lifespan of primary cultures. In fact, research to date has failed to even demonstrate the existence of neuronal-restricted precursor cells in the human fetal spinal cord. As a result of the difficulties associated with performing human spinal cord research, the differentiation process remains poorly understood and the development of therapies for spinal cord diseases and injuries has been impeded.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for stable spinal cord lines that can be readily differentiated, and can be used in the development of therapies for spinal cord-related conditions. The present invention fulfills these needs and further provides other related advantages.